1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a pocket structure for a foldable wing of an aircraft, especially a high performance aircraft such as a military aircraft. Such pocket structures are located in a space of the aircraft fuselage for receiving at least a portion of a wing when the latter is folded back during high speed flight.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Pocket structures in the form of pocket bellows are known in connection with foldable wing aircraft. These pocket bellows perform two functions, one function is the sealing of the wing top surface from the wing bottom surface so as not to impair the pressure difference between these two surfaces. The other function of the pocket bellows is to maintain or provide a closed outer fuselage contour to satisfy aerodynamic requirements.
German Patent (DE-PS) No. 2,916,662 discloses flexible pocket structures functioning as fuel tanks located in the hollow spaces between the launching tubes of a clustering weapons container on an aircraft. Such fuel tanks change their volume. This prior art system according to German Pat. No. 2,916,662 is not suitable for wing pockets because the primary function of a wing receiving bellows is the sealing function for maintaining the pressure difference between the top and bottom surfaces of a wing. Such sealing function is not critical in a scattering weapons container.